Anyone who is an entrepreneur, or would like to become one, is invited to join the second StartUp Weekend to be held in Bermuda.

The Bermuda Government-sponsored e-commerce initiative aims to promote the ideas of promising business leaders. It starts next Friday and will be will be focused on hospitality.

December’s StartUp Weekend follows from the success of the first event to take place in Bermuda, in March, which attracted 42 participants.

Those taking part are encouraged to make short pitches to describe their business idea, followed by groups getting together to brainstorm and develop the most promising ideas.

At the end of the weekend, a demonstration of a basic prototype creation is shown.

In March the winner was Nakia Smith. Her business idea was to create a shared community kitchen.

Next Friday, Bermuda’s second StartUp Weekend gets under way. It has been named “The Hospitality Edition.” It will be held at Butterfield Bank’s Rosebank Banking Centre, on Bermudiana Road.

The 54-hour event is designed to provide experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs.

It starts in the evening of Friday, December 4, with initial pitches. The weekend continues through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation. It culminates two days later, on the Sunday night, with demonstrations and presentations.

Participants create working start-ups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams receive feedback from local entrepreneurs.

StartUp Weekend is a template event that takes place across the world in the same way, every time. The concept has proven popular in the US, with more than 45,000 people taking part in events.

It is strongly tech-oriented. Globally, approximately 95 per cent of all ideas are mobile or web-focused, and given the short timeframe, even teams developing non-tech ideas are encouraged to focus on a tech-related deliverable (ie, website, app, etc) by the Sunday.

Ms Smith, who won the inaugural StartUp Weekend in Bermuda, said: “It was an experience of a lifetime. To work with people who are selflessly committed to a concept that I created was incredibly gratifying.

“Their dedication and hard work motivated me to push further to reach my goal.”

She added: “I want to encourage anyone who has been toying with a business idea to come and participate. Come and be among like-minded people who can bring life to your dream.”

The weekend is centred on action, innovation, and education.

In a statement, the Government said: “Whether one is looking for feedback on an idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help execute the vision, StartUp Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test an idea and take the first steps towards launching a start-up.

“The goal of the Inspire eBusiness initiative is to support and encourage the development of local e-commerce business in Bermuda. It offers various workshops throughout the year that are focused on starting and managing an eBusiness effectively.”

StartUp Weekend, between December 4-6, is hosted by Inspire eBusiness, and is sponsored by the Department of E-Commerce within the Ministry of Economic Development. Next week’s event is co-sponsored by the Bermuda Hospitality Institute.

Further details are available by visiting www.inspireebusiness.bm